President’s Update July

President’s Update

I hope that you’re all travelling well, and are heartened by the recent national committee meeting we’ve had last week where we shared information about how ASC members around the country are adapting their events and programs. We’re continuing our members Q&A series this week featuring Jonathan Webb, ABC Science Editor so make sure you’ve registered for that session coming up on Friday. I’d also like to shout out and congratulate Linden Ashcroft, Mia Cobb and the rest of the Research Program team from ASC2020 for their work pulling together a special issue commentary for the Journal of Science Communication, featuring five papers from the conference.

As most of the country starts moving about more and restrictions for the most part start easing, it feels like we’re moving from one kind of weirdness into another. How do things start up again?  It’s easy to keep your distance when you’re home on your own, but once people start getting out and about, the threat of complacency kicks in.

We know that the longer restrictions are in, the harder it is for people to stick to them. This has led to a range of new campaigns reminding people of the need for physical distancing and hygiene. It really comes down to human behaviour, and as the latest editorial in Science states, while good science communication is essential, persuasive words are not enough when it comes to changing minds, attitudes and behaviour.

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